How do we Define Success?
Isaiah 7:9b
“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”
How do we define Success? Is success defined by how much material things we have accumulated? Our worldly culture puts value on fame, living in luxury, good looks, having enough money to live a life of opulence. There is a difference between how the world defines success and what the Bible tells us.
Jesus was considered unimpressive by the world’s standards. Born from a humble background and under shameful circumstances, Jesus never had a formal education. He never married and never had kids or acquired worldly wealth. Before Jesus’ death even his followers and friends abandoned him, and he died a painful death as a criminal.
Once of the biggest challenges we face is our misunderstanding of what success really is. Success can become an idol in our lives that replaces our devotion to God.
In God’s eyes we are considered successful if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. To be part of the “Family of God” WOW!!! that can’t be beat. In the bible when David was getting close to death, he shared these words with his son Solomon.
1 Kings 2:3 (NLT)
Observe the requirements of the LORD your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you.
This verse boils down to living a life in obedience to God. If we want to be successful, we need to seek God and live a life that honors Him. We need to seek Him first and then let God give us the success He wants for us.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
